The Fourth Outstanding Person of Huangpu Military Academy

Chen Mingren: "General Chen, how about we rotate the operations department?"

"Change shifts? Why change shifts?" Chen Tianheng shook his head. "After such a fight, who can sleep tonight..."

In this way, the Guangzhou General Staff Headquarters worked all night again.

Of course, in recent times, there have been people working in the General Staff Operations Department 24 hours a day, but tonight, Chen Tianheng, Chief of Operations Chen Mingren, and four other main staff officers including Su Yu were all on duty.

After Zhou Shidi sent the telegram at 8 o'clock, the Hubei-Henan-Anhui direction fell silent.

At 9 o'clock, a telegram came from Xiangxi that He Long's troops had arrived near Changde, with the 22nd Division leading the way. He Long reported that some of the defenders in Changde seemed to be fleeing by boat towards Dongting Lake.

Changde is home to the Hunan Army's 8th Independent Brigade, numbering over 4,000 men. The combat effectiveness of such independent brigades is volatile, but according to previous reports from He Long's informants, the 8th Independent Brigade in Changde is quite good.

This was also the main consideration in the General Staff's plan for the 8th Army to bypass Changde and not attack the city.

At 1 a.m., Zhou Shidi unexpectedly sent another telegram. "My 17th Division has entered Huangban Village. The enemy's 26th Division will not survive the night."

凌晨4点,周士第第二封电报:“新叶村总攻于半小时前结束。敌26师全军覆没,但敌11师亦连夜向我发动进攻,企图救援26师。16师48团坚守战线，现徐海东已亲率16师47团前往加强阻隔防线。”

"Huh—" Chen Tianheng was basically relieved. Zhang Fakui, ah Zhang Fakui, you can log off now.

Wuhan.

7:4 am on April 16th.

When Chen Lifu got off the plane, the Wuhan airport was empty. There were only three or five ground staff busy at work, and there was no one to welcome him at the airport.

"Hello, Director Chen."

Li Zongren was not at the airport, so he met Chen Lifu at his base camp.

Chen Lifu looked exhausted, with dark circles under his eyes. "Commander-in-Chief Li, please read the commander-in-chief's handwritten note for details. ... The commander-in-chief just wanted to tell you one sentence: You have to send troops."

Chapter 35: Chiang Kai-shek is a Communist spy!

"Communist spy?! I think Chiang Kai-shek himself is the damn Communist spy!"

Li Zongren cursed, his hands spread out on the table. The densely packed red and blue markings on the map on the table now looked like a mess of scribbles in his eyes.

Bai Chongxi asked all irrelevant people in the General Staff Office to leave, leaving only him and Li Zongren in the room. Bai Chongxi was also very irritable, pacing back and forth in the General Staff Office:

"Chiang Kai-shek's foolish move truly tantamount to being a Communist spy. Alas!"

The two suddenly talked about the topic of "communist spies" because Chen Lifu said this word during their interview half an hour ago.

Chen Lifu first handed them a handwritten letter from Chiang Kai-shek.

"Recently, the Guangdong bandits have emerged in full force, their main force launching a massive siege on Jiangxi. If you do not send troops to aid Jiangxi, the famous city of Poyang, this fertile land, will soon fall into enemy hands! How could the great Republic of China allow the capitals of two provinces to be captured in the space of two years? Keeping troops in Hubei and Hunan, and managing private lands, is this the character of a believer in the Three Principles of the People? Do you think the central government will bear the infamy of losing troops and territory, and the accusations of the people? If the spirit of the late Prime Minister is still in heaven, he would also feel guilty about this!"

Chen Lifu: "I believe the Commander-in-Chief's letter has made it very clear. Jiangxi cannot be lost. As for the telegram you two sent to headquarters earlier, alleging that the Guangdong bandits coveted Changsha, Zhuzhou and Tanzhou, headquarters believes that this is unlikely. This is not only the Commander-in-Chief's opinion, but also the judgment of Chief of General Staff He Yingqin."

Li Zongren: "But Director Chen, I still believe that Hunan is the main attack direction of the Communist army. The Communist army's action against Jiangxi is just a feint. Their main force must be hiding in the direction of southern Hunan and western Jiangxi, waiting for an opportunity to attack Changsha, Zhuzhou and Xiangtan."

Chen Lifu: "But now, all three entrances to the Ganjiang Plain are under attack! On the Fuzhou defense line, the Communist army's mountain artillery, field artillery, and mortars have been firing non-stop all day long! This is not even a feint. You two are not in Jiangxi, so you can't feel the pressure Commander Cheng is under!"

Bai Chongxi: "We've been operating in Changsha, Zhuzhou and Xiangtan for a year, and Cheng Qian has also been operating in central Jiangxi and Nanchang for a year. Why is he now complaining that he can't hold on?"

Chen Lifu stated: "There were originally six armies on the Nanxun Line. One army was transferred to encircle and suppress the Hubei-Henan-Anhui Rebellion. The Jiujiang garrison cannot be left empty because the Communists have been active in Xiushui and Tonggu counties. The Nanchang garrison consists of only three armies with 60,000 men. It cannot withstand the full force of the Communists. Moreover, the Sixth Army, which is now stationed in Yongfeng, Fuzhou, and Yingtan, has already suffered heavy losses."

Bai Chongxi: "As a group army commander, Cheng Qian is too incompetent."

"Whether Commander Cheng is incompetent or not, we'll discuss that after the suppression of the Communists is over. Right now, we need to address the most pressing issue," Chen Lifu said. "Commander Li, the Air Force couldn't arrange a flight yesterday. I went to the airport at three in the morning just to finalize this matter before returning to Nanjing. Nanjing is also unstable right now. Many cases of collusion with the Communists and Communist espionage have been exposed, and the Central Bureau of Investigation has been busy."

"It's all just a few rants from the intellectuals, but the problem right now is that some government officials have erratic political stances. Some powerful local officials have even been secretly colluding with the Guangdong bandits. A few days ago, we uncovered a group of Communist spies in Zhejiang, members of the Kuomintang's underground network during the Northern Expedition. Their leader, codenamed Yueying Wutong, made contributions to the Northern Expedition, but what good did it do? If we don't deal with them, they'll set a very bad example, so I've had all the key members of this network executed."

Li Zongren: "I don't know much about the Zhejiang situation. Forgive me for being blunt, but I'm just saying it's in line with the Communist Party. Since you handled this matter without a legal trial, whether you're taking credit for it or abandoning it after the rabbit has died, no one can tell."

Chen Lifu drank his tea and coughed again. "I've brought all the ships of the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company on the Yangtze River here. They're all parked at the Wuhan dock and nearby. They can transport an entire army at a time. The Commander-in-Chief hopes you'll send at least the 47th and 7th Armies to Nanchang."

Li Zongren: "The Communist Party openly asked us for Changsha and asked us to swallow up Jiangxi. Chiang Kai-shek also thought so. Asking us to reinforce Jiangxi was completely in line with the Communist Party's plan. It was perfect!"

Bai Chongxi: "If I had known this earlier, I would have agreed to the Communist Party during the negotiations. That way I could have received some compensation."

"No," Li Zongren shook his head, "Ji Kuan disagrees."

Huang Shaozi opposed this plan. He argued that if the Communist Party's investment proposal was accepted, Guangxi would be economically tied to Guangdong, and the New Guangxi Clique would be unlikely to antagonize Guangdong for five years. But who could guarantee that within five years, Nanjing and Guangzhou would not completely break off relations, forcing the Guangxi Clique and the Guangdong Communist Party into a heated battle?

Bai Chongxi: "Then we have no choice but to change homes."

Li Zongren: "Jiansheng, are you sure we can take over Jiangxi?"

"I have already planned this," Bai Chongxi said. "I am confident that we can deal with the various forces in Jiangxi."

Guangzhou.

General Staff.

In the Hubei, Henan and Anhui directions, Zhou Shidi submitted a detailed battle report on the "Susong Battle" with the Guangdong 11th Army.

第六军16、17师歼灭了粤11军第26师、击溃粤11师。张发奎的第11军实际只下辖2个师，因此此战之后，张发奎这一路围剿大军就等于下线了。

However, the 16th and 17th Divisions also suffered heavy losses. The Guangdong Army was now a rootless tree, and when fighting, they were particularly clumsy. When the 16th and 17th Divisions launched a night attack on the Guangdong 26th Division that night, the Guangdong 11th Division noticed the Sixth Army's intention and immediately launched a night attack to join the Guangdong 26th Division.

担任阻击任务的16师48团虽然成功阻隔了粤11和26师,但夜暗之中粤11师冲进了48团的防御阵地,双方混战成一团。至47团回师援助,粤11师退去，48团也被冲得七零八落,伤亡严重,周士第认为48团已不具备正常的战斗力。

In addition, in the annihilation battle against the Guangdong 26th Division, the three regiments of the 17th Division also suffered considerable losses.

Fan Hanjie: "When the Sixth Army launched a surprise attack on Qichun County from Yingshan, they did not bring out their artillery. This was their mistake."

The Sixth Army had mountain artillery, with two mountain artillery battalions across its three divisions. However, to achieve the suddenness of the attack, the 16th and 17th Divisions left all their mountain artillery in Yingshan County and attacked with light equipment, achieving a 60-kilometer daily march.

The enemy defending Qichun County had extremely poor combat effectiveness and was indeed completely defenseless. The 16th and 17th Divisions captured Qichun County with only minor casualties after a forced march, but when they then encountered the 1st Guangdong Division, the Sixth Army, without artillery support, lost blood too quickly.

Fan Hanjie said: "The distance from Yingshan to Qichun is 60 kilometers, 30 kilometers of which are mountainous and 30 kilometers of which are flat. The mountainous areas are indeed difficult to travel. Some of the roads are less than one meter thick, carved by woodcutters. Artillery vehicles cannot pass through. But they should at least disassemble some of the artillery into parts and carry them down the mountain for reassembly. Instead of an entire artillery battalion, even if only one mountain artillery company is in place, the battle may be much smoother."

Su Yu: "However, the Hubei-Henan-Anhui region had previously reported a shortage of packhorses in the base area. Strong, well-bred packhorses were particularly hard to come by throughout the base area, and I'm afraid they would be unable to carry a single piece of mountain artillery, weighing around 100 kilograms."

Chen Tianheng: "Send a telegram back to Hubei, Henan, and Anhui, reminding Zhou Shidi that the current battle is only the first phase of the entire anti-encirclement and suppression campaign. Hubei, Henan, and Anhui must pay particular attention to controlling the loss of troops and the rate of ammunition consumption. Have Zhou Shidi reconsider and adjust the troop deployment plan for the second phase."

"The Hubei-Henan-Anhui Communist Army broke out of the encirclement, and Qichun County has fallen" "The Communist Army counterattacked the outer line, and the encirclement and suppression may have failed"

"Coach Ye Kaixin is incompetent and is suspected of being fired" and "Intelligence: Coach Ye Kaixin has been taken to Nanjing"

…Only 10 days after the encirclement and suppression campaign officially began, the comedians in the newspapers began to make up all kinds of jokes.

Ye Kaixin was certainly not taken away and executed by Chiang Kai-shek; he was merely reprimanded by Chiang Kai-shek via telegram. However, there is no doubt that Nanjing's campaign against the Huyu-Anhui base area suffered a setback.

The army set out from the direction of Wuhan to attack Huangan and Macheng, but Huangan was voluntarily abandoned by the Sixth Army. The Macheng defense line delayed the 41st Army for two days. After that, the Macheng Independent Regiment voluntarily withdrew to the Dabie Mountains. The National Army captured two county towns, but did not annihilate any living forces.

The mountain road in the direction of Liuhuo is rugged and progress is extremely slow.

In the Anqing direction, the 11th Army, originally intended to advance toward the Dabie Mountains, was ordered back down the mountain when the Communists suddenly attacked from the outer reaches and captured Qichun County. The 11th Army and the 46th Army launched a joint attack on Qichun County, but the Communists exploited the time difference between the two armies, and the 11th Army was defeated.

In the current media landscape, journalists and writers who initially opposed the suppression of the Communists have become even more critical of the Nanjing government, while a number of intellectuals who previously supported the suppression are now lambasting Chiang Kai-shek and Ye Kaixin. After spending 35 million dollars on military spending, this is the outcome?

No wonder Chen Lifu was under immense pressure at work...

Faced with the bombardment of public opinion, Chiang Kai-shek played ostrich.

As a tool, Lin Sen, the Chairman of the National Government, responded to the doubts/protests/opposition voices from all walks of life across the country.

Lin Sen stated that the peace declaration I issued in December 1927 meant no military action against Guangdong. However, banditry broke out in the Hubei, Henan, and Anhui regions, which was not in line with our agreement. The Communist Party violated this agreement. Therefore, the Nationalist government's suppression of Hubei, Henan, and Anhui was legally justifiable.

Regarding the war situation, Lin Sen said that the current situation is not bad, "everything is developing in the direction of the established goals." Although the Communist armed forces managed to capture Qichun County outside the blockade line, the Kuomintang army is still continuing to compress the space of the Communist base area. Within three months, the Communist forces in Hubei, Henan and Anhui will be eliminated.

Lin Sen also outlined the general guiding principle for the Hubei-Henan-Anhui encirclement and suppression campaign: If the Communists were willing to abandon the Hubei-Henan-Anhui base area, the Nationalist government would allow the Communist Party organizations there, including their "bandit leaders" and "chieftains," to evacuate and return to Guangzhou. As long as the Jiangbei base area was abandoned, Nanjing could maintain peace with Guangzhou.

"...Chairman Lin Sen."

Shi Liangcai, a renowned journalist and newspaper magnate during the Republic of China, asked Lin Sen a question: "Excuse me, the fighting is intense in Hubei and Henan Provinces, and fierce fighting is also breaking out near Nanchang, Jiangxi. How does the Nationalist government plan to respond to the fighting near Nanchang? Should we be optimistic or pessimistic about the situation in Jiangxi?"

Lin Sen: "Mr. Shi, the situation in Jiangxi is even less frightening."

Shi Liangcai: "But I heard that President Chiang Kai-shek, also the commander-in-chief of the National Revolutionary Army, has just ordered Li Zongren to lead the elite Fourth Army to rush to Nanchang to provide assistance."

Lin Sen: "Look, since Li Zongren's elite divisions have rushed to Nanchang to support it, the situation in Jiangxi is not a cause for concern. Isn't this normal?"

Wuhan.

At the Yangtze River Wharf, three Yangtze River passenger ships owned by the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company were lined up for berthing. Each of them was a large passenger ship of nearly 1000 tons, capable of carrying more than 1,000 soldiers at a time.

The officers and soldiers of the 47th Army lined up to board the ship from the pier.

Three Yangtze River passenger ships were fully loaded and immediately set sail, and then three more ships docked at the dock to continue loading troops. At the nearby freight dock, Yangtze River freighters were busy loading artillery and supplies for the 47th Army.

The Guangxi clique probably thought that "7" was their lucky number, so starting with the 7th Army, they took away all the army numbers ending with 7. (However, the 37th Army was temporarily disbanded.)

Zhang Qun, a member of the Nanjing Military Commission and special commissioner for the Hubei-Henan-Anhui bandit suppression campaign, was in Wuhan and personally supervised Li Zongren in sending the Guangxi troops to Jiangxi.

Zhang Qun: "Commander Li, your troops assembled very quickly and their quality is first-rate. Within a day, the first batch of troops of the 47th Army boarded the ship and departed."

Li Zongren: "The 47th and 18th Armies are stationed in Wuhan, and they are always on a war footing, so they can move quickly. In addition, after careful consideration, the Fourth Army has readjusted its troop deployment in Hubei and Hubei, and finally decided..."

Li Zongren paused and said, "The Seventh Army has set out from Changsha and will be assembled in Wuhan within two days. From Wuhan, it will be shipped to Jiangxi."

Zhang Qun: "Three armies to reinforce Jiangxi, great! That's great!"

Chapter 36: This is not a sneak attack, this is a forced attack

Zhang Qun witnessed with his own eyes the transfer of the 47th Army to Jiujiang, and heard from Li Zongren that the "Steel 7th Army" would also be transferred to Jiujiang-Nanchang. In the telegram sent back to Nanjing that day, Zhang Qun praised Li Zongren to the sky.

Chiang Kai-shek was greatly relieved when he received the telegram. The Guangxi clique had finally made a move!

Thanks to me for sending Chen Lifu to Wuhan and persuading them earnestly. It seems Chen Lifu's lobbying ability is still very strong!

"One week. As long as Nanchang can hold on for one week, the situation in the entire Jiangxi province will be turned around."

He Yingqin is now in a good mood.

"The Communists have mobilized four armies to invade the Ganjiang Plain, and another army is threatening the Nanxun Railway on the Hunan-Jiangxi border. Once the Gui army enters Jiangxi, we will have a manpower advantage, with ample forces to defend the Nanxun line and greatly strengthen the defense of Nanchang. If we hold out for just one month, the Communists will run out of food and ammunition, and possibly military funds as well. Since the front line has failed to achieve a decisive victory without capturing Nanchang, they will be forced to withdraw."

"In this way, the defensive battle in the Jiangxi direction can achieve its goal." Chiang Kai-shek asked: "How many troops are there to defend Nanchang now?"

He Yingqin: "The Third Army, the Sixth Army, and the 32nd Army. However, the Sixth Army, which has been deployed to defend Fengcheng, Fuzhou, and Yingtan, is under attack across the board and may suffer heavy losses."

"Are you saying that the Sixth Army might have died?" Chiang Kai-shek revealed He Yingqin's true meaning.

He Yingqin: "...Yes. Let the Sixth Army be lost. The 3rd and 32nd Armies, relying on the Nanchang fortifications, can hold out for a long time. In addition, our military academy's teaching division is also in Nanchang, under the command of Cheng Qian. This is also a well-equipped fresh force, and the teaching division is absolutely reliable."

Chiang Kai-shek nodded in affirmation.

"Principal, General He, I still feel a little uncertain about this matter." Chen Cheng interjected: "Which Communist troops are invading the Ganjiang Plain? I noticed that in Nanchang, Cheng Qian couldn't clearly explain which Communist army was attacking him."

He Yingqin: "Yes, Cheng Qian is being attacked in three places now. He just lost a division in Fuzhou, Yingtan is surrounded by the Communist army, and Fengcheng is also being attacked by the Communist army. Cheng Qian has not yet completely eliminated any of the Communist troops, so naturally he has no way of knowing the specific numbers of the Communist troops. However, today we have confirmed intelligence that the Communist army has deployed tanks in the direction of Fengcheng."

Chen Cheng: "Tank?!"

He Yingqin: "Yes, tanks. Therefore, it goes without saying that the Communist troops that invaded the Ganjiang Plain must be their main force. This tank unit must be from either the First Army or the Fourth Army of the Communist Army."

Fengcheng.

Three days later than the land forces, on April 19, the six Renault FT-17s of the training division armored battalion were finally transported to the outskirts of Fengcheng by motor boat.

These six tanks were affectionately called "Big Daddy" by the instructors because it was so difficult to transport them from Guangzhou to the front line.

The journey from Ji'an to Fengcheng via the Gan River was relatively easy; the challenging part was the journey from Ganzhou to Ji'an. In Ganzhou, the revolutionary army rented heavy-duty flatbed trucks, nicknamed "Ten-Ton Load Kings," from local mining and engineering companies. Two to three hundred men manned the trucks, transporting the "Big Daddy" tanks to Ji'an. However, the road from Ji'an to Ganzhou proved arduous for the flatbed trucks carrying the tanks. At some points, the convoy had to stop and wait for six or seven hours until the accompanying engineers had reinforced the road before continuing.

"Oil drum, oil drum, watch out for the oil drum!"

Dai Anlan, commander of the training division's armored battalion and now commander of the temporarily organized regimental combat team, shouted, "Move the oil drums further away!"

Barrels of fuel unloaded from the ship were loaded onto carts and set off. Six motorboats unloaded six tanks, assembled into a formation, and under the command of Dai Anlan, left the small town's river port terminal, heading towards Fengcheng.

The tank troops will first participate in the final attack on Fengcheng.

The 19th Division, which had been marching downstream from the Ganjiang River Valley, had broken through Fengcheng's outer strongholds two days ago and surrounded Fengcheng. However, in order to reduce casualties, the 19th Division waited patiently for the arrival of "Big Daddy".

The engine roared, and the tracks made a clacking noise. Sitting on the tank, Dai Anlan saw an acquaintance outside Fengcheng City - Guan Linzheng, the commander of the 19th Division.

"Old Guan, what heavy firepower do the Fengcheng defenders have? Do they have flat-firing cannons?"

Guan Linzheng: "We don't have any flat-fire guns! The mountain guns are misfiring! They still have two or three Stokes guns in the city!"

"Mortars, huh? Okay, got it!" Dai Anlan shouted, "Which direction should we launch them?"

Under Guan Linzheng's guidance, the tanks advanced in columns and arrived outside Fengcheng. Following the training division's previous exercises, Dai Anlan positioned the tanks facing the enemy head-on, stopping and starting, firing two or three rounds from their main guns each time they stopped.

Under the cover of the tanks, the infantry of the 55th Regiment of the 19th Division also formed a column, trailing the tanks and advancing towards the enemy. This was the infantry-tank coordination tactic that the Kulun Independent Division had practiced with the tank units of the training division when they were stationed in Guangzhou.

"Da da da da..." "Ding ding ding ding ding..."

A machine gun bunker was firing at the tank, bullets flying in streams, and then bounced off the armor plate. The tank gunner who was hit discovered the machine gun bunker, turned the turret and fired a shot.

"Da da da da da..." "Dang dang dang dang..." The gunner reloaded the shells: "Boom!"